Buksa, H., Johnson, E.C. orcid.org/0000-0002-0092-1008, Chan, D.H.H. et al. (4 more authors) (2024) Arginine-functional methacrylic block copolymer nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and adsorption onto a model planar substrate. Biomacromolecules, 25 (5). pp. 2990-3000. ISSN 1525-7797
Abstract
Recently, we reported the synthesis of a hydrophilic aldehyde-functional methacrylic polymer (Angew. Chem., 2021, 60, 12032–12037). Herein we demonstrate that such polymers can be reacted with arginine in aqueous solution to produce arginine-functional methacrylic polymers without recourse to protecting group chemistry. Careful control of the solution pH is essential to ensure regioselective imine bond formation; subsequent reductive amination leads to a hydrolytically stable amide linkage. This new protocol was used to prepare a series of arginine-functionalized diblock copolymer nanoparticles of varying size via polymerization-induced self-assembly in aqueous media. Adsorption of these cationic nanoparticles onto silica was monitored using a quartz crystal microbalance. Strong electrostatic adsorption occurred at pH 7 (Γ = 14.7 mg m–2), whereas much weaker adsorption occurred at pH 3 (Γ = 1.9 mg m–2). These findings were corroborated by electron microscopy, which indicated a surface coverage of 42% at pH 7 but only 5% at pH 3.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Adsorption; Monomers; Nanoparticles; RAFT polymerization; Solution chemistry |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Chemistry (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number WELLCOME TRUST (THE) 104110/Z/14/A Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EP/T012455/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 21 May 2024 15:44 |
Last Modified: | 21 May 2024 15:44 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00128 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:212623 |